مجله طب جنوب
سال بیست و پنجم شماره 1 (فروردین و اردیبهشت 1401)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is one of the most common diseases of the nervous system, characterized by inflammation of the central nervous system and oxidative stress. Carvacrol is a monoterpenoid phenol with antioxidant effects against free radical. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of carvacrol on the expression of Hmox-1, iNOS, Nrf2 and NF-ҚB genes in the spinal cord of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE) rats as an animal model of MS.

EAE was induced in female Lewis rats and they were then divided into three groups: control, EAE model, and EAE treated with carvacrol. Carvacrol was daily injected intraperitoneally for 17 days after immunization. RNA was extracted from rat spinal cord tissue and changes in the expression of the Hmox-1, iNOS, Nrf2 and NF-ҚB genes were examined by Real-Time PCR.

The results showed that carvacrol treatment stopped severe weight loss in the EAE model group and their mean weight increased. Furthermore, carvacrol was found to reduce the expression of iNOS and NF-ҚB genes and increase the levels of Hmox-1 mRNA and Nrf2 mRNA.

The effect of carvacrol on weight changes in treated rats, along with the increased HO-1 gene expression in their spinal cord, associated with increased Nrf2 mRNA and decreased expression of iNOS and NF-ҚB, led to a reduction in inflammation and oxidative stress, and an increase in the neuroprotection. Furthermore, the invasive environment created for some cells, such as oligodendrocytes, was modulated.

Gallic acid (GA) is one of the polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial and radical scavenging activities, which plays a main role in human health against cancer and cardiovascular diseases. GA concentration can be quantitatively measured in food, medicinal plants and body fluids.

In this study, MnO2 nanosheets were prepared by reducing potassium permanganate in the presence of Gum Arabic. MnO2 nanosheets rapidly oxidized dopamine substrate and produced fluorescent polydopamine nanoparticles. GA could reduce MnO2 nanosheets to Mn2+, thus, the amount of MnO2 nanoparticles for the formation of polydopamine nanoparticles decreased and the
fluorescent intensity of the mixture decreased.

GA concentration depended on the reduction of fluorescence intensity of the prepared polydopamine nanoparticles. The effects of different experimental parameters such as pH, time and excitation wavelength on the designed sensor were also examined. Under optimized conditions, a good linear relationship was observed between the fluorescence intensity of the system and the concentration of GA in the range of 1.0–100 μmol L−1 with a detection limit of 0.5 μmol L−1. In addition, the developed sensor has a good selectivity on the GA detection.

Furthermore, as a sensitive and selective fluorescent probe, the polydopamine nanoparticles sensor was successfully employed for the detection of GA in real samples.

Diabetic retinopathy is a common chronic complication of diabetes and one of the leading causes of acquired blindness in the world. There is growing evidence that traditional risk factors do not fully justify the onset and progression of diabetic retinopathy. Therefore, some other risk factors such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease may be involved in the pathophysiology of diabetic retinopathy. This study aims to investigate the association of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease with diabetic retinopathy in a group of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

This cross-sectional study enrolled 1294 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. All participants were evaluated for retinopathy and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Systemic examination, eye examination, biochemical tests, and liver ultrasound were performed for all participants. Independent t-test was used to evaluate the differences between continuous variables and chi-square test was used for qualitative variables. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratio of different components in the development of diabetic retinopathy. All analyses were performed in STATA software version 22.

Of the participants, 71.87% had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and 39.56% had retinopathy. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of risk factors showed that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and male sex were independently associated with diabetic retinopathy.

This study showed that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is very common in patients with type 2 diabetes. In these patients, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is a risk factor for diabetic retinopathy.

99mTc-MIBI cardiac perfusion scanning is recognized as a clinically useful method in evaluating coronary artery disease. By the implementation of new imaging techniques and systems, it seems possible to obtain high-quality images with a lower dose of radiopharmaceuticals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of injection dose of 99mTc-MIBI on quantitative parameters of cardiac perfusion scan.

Eighty-three patients with the known probability of coronary artery disease were imaged three times (15, 120, and 180 min) after one injection during the stress phase. Assuming that 99mTc-MIBI has not any significant redistribution at this time, the only parameter which has been changed is the amount of accumulated radioactivity within the myocardium. In this way, we have three different images with different deposited doses in the myocardium from each patient. Then quantitative data of End Systolic Volume (ESV), End Diastolic Volume (EDV), and Ejection Fraction (EF) were calculated and compared.

Examination of quantitative scanning data indicates that the changes in EF data were non-significant and that the changes in ESV and EDV were significant over time.

In this study, assuming a dose reduction of radioactivity up to 50% of the initial dose based on cumulative dose in myocardial and imaging time, no clinically significant changes in quantitative cardiac perfusion scan variables such as ESV, EDV and EF occurred.

The rapid and increasing growth of technology in the artificial intelligence era and its impact on fundamentals changes in the development of science including biomedicine and health presents a need for the future studies in medical sciences. This project is striving to provide a desirable model based on authentic forecasting models in order to clarify the probable and uncertain futures of medicine and health in Iran, with their complexities. 

The Jay Ogilvy’s eight steps scenario planning and strategic forecasting was engaged in a five phases model including the identification approach (phase 1) for detection of paradigms in medicine; the extrapolation approach (phase 2) for detection of megatrends and key technologies in medicine and healthcare; the convergence approach (phase 3) for discovering of critical uncertainties and achieving to the logic of scenario; the creative approach (phase 4) for composition of the scenario and technology roadmap; the policy making approach (phase 5) for planning of strategies and tactics.

In the first phase, it was revealed that the realm of medicine is under a huge disruption and the current medicine is going to systems medicine with precision medicine in its scope. In the second phase, it was clarified that the convergence of knowledge, technology and society (CKTS) is a megatrend that drives medical sciences to “deep medicine”. In the third phase, it was unfolded that CKTS and “deep medicine” including deep phenotyping of the patient using multiple omics technologies are cardinal key points that not realization of their goals in Iran would lead to a deep and critical gap in advanced and updated medicine and healthcare between Iran and the developed countries. In the fourth phase, four possible scenarios for the future of medicine and healthcare in Iran were described in which the ideal scenario would be flourishing of deep medicine along CKTS. In the fifth phase, three strategies were developed in order to realize the ideal scenario including 1/ the establishment of knowledge regions, mediated by universities; 2/ moving toward digital health and artificial intelligence; 3/ driving forces for precision medicine

The establishment of infrastructures and preparedness for realizing precision medicine and moving toward digital health and artificial intelligence are crucial strategies to achieve the ideal future of medicine in Iran. These important issues should be considered as national priorities by policy makers and programmers in the realm of medical sciences.

Enki/Ea, the God of wisdom and deep had a prominent role in incantations and healing rituals. He was the creature of apkallus (the seven sages). These seven sages were distributing the wisdom and power of Enki/Ea among people. Oannes (Adapa) was one of the apkallus who was a hybrid of gish-man with the Enki/Ea ‘s power in healing and wisdom. Hence, the Mesopotamian priests who imitated Oannes and resorted to him, dressed in the bodies of fish hanging from their back, complete with caudal and dorsal fines, presented over the patients’ beds for healing rituals. Sometimes, induction of emesis, enema, and fumigation were also used by them. The presence of the fish-man hybrid of Oannes (Adapa), as one of the seven sages in the carving of Kourosh’s palace in Pasargad indicates a powerful influence of the Mesopotamian medicine on
Achaemenid Empire.